A Beginner’s Guide to Speaking Australian
Although Australia is an English speaking country, arriving into the country with little knowledge of the “Aussie slang” may just get into you into a few awkward situations. Aussies have a tendency to shorten most words in the English vocabulary.
So, whether you are dreaming of visiting Australia, have just arrived or have been in this gigantic island of paradise for a while, there are a few Australian terms that you should know to help you get through day to life. You will soon become accustomed to this. Here are a list of some common terms that should help you get by…
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A Cold One – Beer
Arvo – Afternoon
Aussie salute – Wave to scare the flies
Bail – to cancel plans
Barbie – Barbecue
Bathers – Swimsuit
Bea – Beer
Beauty! – Great!
Billabong – A pond in a dry riverbed
Billy – Teapot (In the Outback on the fire)
Bloody – very. Used to extenuate a point
Booze Bus – Police vehicle used to catch drunk drivers
Brekky – Breakfast
Brolly – Umbrella
C*nt, the “C” word – Used when exchanging pleasantries between close friends or family member. If someone calls you the “C” word in Australia (and you haven’t done anything to make them angry), then breathe a sigh of relief… it means you have entered the mate zone.
Cab – Sav – Cabernet Sauvignon
Cactus – Dead, Broken
Choc A Bloc – Full
Choccy Biccy – Chocolate Biscuit
Chrissie – Christmas
Ciggy – a Cigarette
Clucky – feeling maternal
Cobber – Very good friend
Coppas – Policemen
Crook – Being ill or angry; ‘Don’t go crook on me for getting crook’
Deadset – True
Devo – Devastated
Dunny – Toilet
Esky – an insulated container that keeps things cold (usually beers)
F*ck Me Dead – that’s unfortunate, that surprises me
Fair dinkum – Honestly?
Frothy – Beer
G’day – Hello
Going off – busy, lots of people
Good Onya – Good work
Goon – the best invention ever produced by mankind. Goon is a cheap, boxed wine that will inevitably become an integral part of your Australian backpacking experience.
Hard yakka – Hard work
Heaps – loads, lots, many
Knickers – female underwear
Legless – Someone who is really drunk
Lollies – Sweets
Maccas – McDonalds
No Worries – it’s Ok
Nuddy – Naked
Pash – to kiss
Piece of Piss – easy
Piss Off – go away, get lost
Piss Up – a party, a get together and in Australia – most social occasions
Piss – to urinate
Pissed – Intoxicated, Drunk
Reckon – for sure
Root Rat – someone who enjoys sex (maybe a little too much)
Rooted – Tired
Runners – Trainers, Sneakers
Servo Service Station
Sickie – a sick day off work
Slab – a carton of beers
Snag – Sausage
Stiffy – Erection
Stoked – Happy, Pleased
Straya – Australia
Stubbie – a big Beer
Stuffed -Tired
Swag – Single tent
Tea – Dinner
Thongs – Flip Flops (or Jandals in New Zealand). Do not be alarmed if your new found Australian friend asks you to wear thongs to the beach. They are most likely expressing their concern of the hot sand on your delicate feet.
Tucker – Food
U-IE – to take a U-Turn when driving
Ya – You
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Bet you haven’t heard this one, “Put some snags on the barbie” – this is a statement you’ll hear way more often than “Put a shrimp on the barbie“… why? Well because snags, i.e. sausages, exist, whereas in Australia shrimps don’t… they’re known as prawns!
Once you’ve been in Australia for, well, an hour, you’ll notice that nearly every word has an ‘o’ on the end of it. It might equally be helpful to share with you what not to say in Australia, such as “fanny” pack.” Something to keep in mind is that a “fanny” in Australia is not the derrière, but instead..well you get the drift.
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Contact a Travel Team Agent at 1-800-788-0829
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